







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| It's not borrowing, it's stealing! | |
| Are there any fries or any kind of snacks? | |
| How is there four of us? | |
| Hang on, there is another web site that says... | |
| Okay, I don't like cooking, but I like tasting food. | |
| Oh no! Are you sure you don't have anything available? | |
| I feel hungry, too. | |
| But one of them is £2.44 and the other one is £1.22. | |
| No she is a very cute, easygoing and friendly girl. | |
| It looks like you've got some experience with coffee. | |
| Okay, what temperature do you want me to set it at? | |
| Exactly, one of them is asking for 3,500, the other one is 3,000... | |
| Those kind of irresponsible people make me angry! | |
| I'm really amazed by the structure of this station. | |
| Well, I don't think we need to cook too many things at once. | |
| Certainly honey, do you want a glass or a bottle? | |
| But everybody calls him Rocco. | |
| Yeah, it's quite a big country, more like a continent. | |
| What do you think, dear, do you like it, too? | |
| Erm, she's the marketing manager at the company. | |